Chancellorsville

Chancellorsville is a 4 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Fredericksburg, Virginia that features a great forest setting and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, and trail running and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail.

DISTANCE

4.0 miles

ELEVATION GAIN

187 feet

ROUTE TYPE

Loop

dog friendly

kid friendly

hiking

trail running

walking

forest

historic site

Civil War history, wooded trails
Here in the tangled thickets of the Wilderness, near a roadside tavern called Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee achieved his greatest victory of the Civil War. For nearly a week Lee's 60,000 man army battled a force more than twice its size across miles of wooded terrain. Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded during the fighting here, as well as and estimated 24,000 men - making it the third costliest battle of the entrie war.
This loop trail, approximately four miles in length, traverses portions of the May 3rd battlefield and the final Union defensive line. Blue blazes on trees and mowed paths in clearings mark the route. Signs and maps at key locations will help you understand what occured here.

The trail is nice, scenic, and isn't plainly flat. The major issue for me after running the trail twice is that my garmin GPS training watch doesn't get very good signal in the trees. An 8-minute mile pace can easily turn into an 11-min mile pace because of the heavy vegetation.

Joe B.

hiking

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Easy and simple. Not much to see but the history is interesting. Close to the 'Burg.

Along the trail were placards marking what was going on during the battle which was nice to help visualize how it all happened! The battlefield itself was different as I grew up near Gettysburg and am used to the high number of monuments there, but it was refreshing to visit a battlefield that had less of those and more of a natural appearance.

I was expecting a lot more historical sites. The trail just bad plaques that stated what happened in the surrounding woods. It's an easy trail for kids and dogs but I wasn't entirely impressed with it.

Bruce M.

trail running

Friday, November 05, 2010

Makes for an pleasant run on flat terrain challenged only by a few roots and other tripping possibilities and interaction with vehicular traffic is slight but when reaching pavement attention to fast-driving locals and distracted tourists doing motor tours is essential. Too brief and flat for a walking workout but the history is of course the high point, and its interesting to note that Stonewall Jackson suffered his fatal wound near the visitor center by the parking lot where the loop begins. Very good interpretive signage at center and various points around the park.